Chronic encapsulated intracerebral hematoma associated with cavernous angioma: a case report

The case of a patient with a chronic encapsulated intracerebral hematoma associated with a cavernous angioma is reported. In spite of a huge space-occupying lesion in the frontal lobe, our patient showed no focal neurological deficit. The clinical picture suggested a slowly growing brain tumor. Intraoperative findings revealed a liquefied intracerebral hematoma with a thick capsule. Pathological investigations demonstrated a capsule rich in neovascularity with a cavernous angioma attached to it. It is presumed that initial bleeding from the cavernous angioma encouraged capsule formation similar to the membrane of chronic subdural hematomas and that repeated bleeding from the capillaries of the capsule allowed the expansion of the hematoma.     

Familial occurrence of intracerebral cavernous angioma

This article reported a familial occurrence of intracerebral cavernous angioma in four members of one generation diagnosed by X-ray CT, MRI or operative specimen. Case 1, a 34-year-old female, was examined just after an episode of sudden convulsive seizure. On examination, she had a cutaneous angioma without any neurological deficit. X-ray CT revealed a high density mass lesion in the left frontal lobe, and MRI demonstrated a mass lesion in the chronic stage with an old hematoma circumscribed by hypointensity ring indicating peripheral hemosiderosis. Complete excision was carried out and a diagnosis of cavernous angioma was made after histological examination. Case 2, the 37-year-old brother of Case 1, suddenly developed left hemiparesis and hypesthesia with severe headache. X-ray CT revealed a high density mass in the right parietal lobe and two other calcifications. The right parietal lesion was excised and a histopathological diagnosis of cavernous angioma with intracerebral hematoma was made. Case 3, the 49-year-old sister of Case 1, suddenly fell into a coma and was admitted immediately. X-ray CT revealed a large pontine hemorrhage. She died on the 4th day of hospitalization without operative treatment. Necropsy was not carried out. Case 4, the 39-year-old sister of Case 1, was asymptomatic, however, she was examined on the supposition of a familial occurrence of intracerebral cavernous angioma. On examination, it was found she had multiple cavernous angioma without any neurological deficit. X-ray CT revealed parietal intracerebral calcification. MRI demonstrated a mass lesion with peripheral hypointensity ring in the right parietal lobe, and another small lesion in the pons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Familial occurrence of intracerebral cavernous angioma

A case of familial occurrence of intracerebral cavernous angioma is reported. The patients were a mother and her eldest son, a 48-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man, respectively. The mother, a hypovascular mass in the right frontal lobe was excised surgically, and in the son a well demarcated mass in the left temporal lobe was extirpated. Pathological examination in each case revealed cavernous angioma. Familial occurrence of intracerebral cavernous angioma is extremely rare. In the literature, 8 cases of familial occurrence have been reported, including our case, and in three out of the 8 cases the lesions were histologically confirmed. To our knowledge, this is the first case in Japan in which the diagnosis was established by surgical specimen. Of 17 cases in 8 family lines, multiple occurrence was observed in 7 cases. The clinical manifestations of the disease appear mostly in a form of adult epilepsy or intracerebral hematoma, and rarely sudden death associated with intracerebral hematoma. At present, CT scanning is widely used for diagnosis of the disease, and the lesions are surgically curable if they are located at the accessible sites. Although there has been no evidence of genetic basis, it is interesting that there is familial occurrence. From this point of view, we should carefully check the family tree of such patients.     

A surgical case of growing cavernous angioma at the pontomedullary junction

We described a surgical case of growing cavernous angioma located at the pontomedullary junction. This 52-year-old woman presented with symptoms caused by a small hemorrhage in the right cerebellopontine angle. Magnetic resonance images (MRI) suggested cavernous angioma as the underlying pathology. 9 months after the first episode, the second hemorrhage occurred with a deteriorated neurological state that disappeared under conservative treatment except for right facial paresis and hearing disturbance. During careful observation for 1 year, the size of the lesion gradually increased on MRI and additional neurological deficits including left hemiparesis and right abducent nerve palsy were diagnosed. The first operation was carried out through the right lateral suboccipital approach, but only partial removal of the cavernous angioma was accomplished due to the overlying seventh and lower cranial nerves. After more than 4 months, a third hemorrhagic episode was presented with a sudden onset of right cerebellar signs and facial numbness. The cavernous angioma grew in size to reach the ventrolateral corner of the 4th ventricle with dense hemosiderin deposition around the core lesion on MRI. An enhancement inside the lesion was also demonstrated after gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepenta-acetic acid administration. The second operation through the midline suboccipital approach was selected for the complete resection of the residual cavernous angioma. The lesion was too hard to resect without internal decompression. The pontine part of the lesion was almost totally resected, but manipulation for the medullary part to create a discrete layer between the lesion and surrounding neural tissues was unsuccessful and generated severe bradycardia, so this part of the cavernous angioma had to be left. The problems for the management of cavernous angioma in the brain stem should be discussed, especially focussing on the surgical indication in reference to our experience and previous literatures.     

A case of tentorial cavernous angioma

A case of tentorial cavernous angioma is reported. A 61-year-old woman was admitted because of left auditory disturbance and left hemifacial spasm. CT scan and angiography, MRI revealed a dumb-bell typed tumor extended above and below the left tentorium cerebelli. Under the preoperative diagnosis of tentorial meningioma, a craniotomy was performed and the tumor was removed totally with minimal bleeding by left subtemporal approach. The tumor was well capsulated and spongy, attached to the tentorium cerebelli. Histologically, the tumor had many various vascular cavities with the wall lined with a single layer of endothelial cell, had neither glial cell nor meningeal cells. Some of cavities were thrombosed. Pathological diagnosis was a cavernous angioma. We discussed the characters of this rare tumor with a review of 4 cases.     

Micturitional disturbance in a patient with a spinal cavernous angioma

A 58-year-old woman had a 3-year history of numbness in the right leg, which developed into thoracic transverse myelopathy and urinary retention. After referral to our department, MRI scans revealed a lesion with a target appearance at the T10-11 spinal cord with multiple silent cerebral lesions, which confirmed the diagnosis of cavernous angioma. Gamma-knife surgery was not indicated, considering the risk of adverse effects. The patient gradually became able to urinate, but had urge urinary incontinence. The first urodynamic studies (conducted 3 months after full clinical manifestations of transverse myelopathy) showed detrusor hyperreflexia (DH), decreased bladder sensation during bladder filling, detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia (DSD), and weak detrusor on voiding. However, urinary retention appeared again without change of neurologic signs. The second urodynamic studies (conducted 2 months later) showed less marked DH during bladder filling, and equivocal DSD but marked weak detrusor on voiding. The patient started taking oral prazosin hydrochloride (6 mg/day), which gradually ameliorated her voiding difficulty. Lesions in the lateral and dorsal columns of the spinal cord seem to be responsible for the micturitional disturbance in our patient with spinal cavernous angioma.     

Successful excision of hemorrhagic cavernous angioma in a patient with severe factor VII deficiency: Perioperative treatment with factor VII concentrate

A case of an uncomplicated neurosurgical procedure in a patient affected by a rare bleeding disorder is described. The interest is twofold: first because of the possible influence of underlying coagulopathy in disclosing the vascular anomaly. And second although surgery in factor VII deficiency has been reported before, with and without replacement therapy, to our knowledge, this is the first neurosurgical case in which factor VII concentrate was used. This treatment allowed safe surgery and protected the patient from complications associated with plasma and protrombin complex use.     

A case of cavernous angioma at the septum pellucidum

A 35-year-old female presented with a cavernous angioma of the septum pellucidum manifesting as headache and nausea. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a mass at the septum pellucidum with intraventricular hemorrhage and mild hydrocephalus. Digital subtraction angiography showed no abnormal finding and thallium-201 single photon emission computed tomography showed no uptake in the lesion. The preoperative diagnosis was intraventricular tumor, such as subependymoma. The lesion was completely resected through the transcallosal approach. The histological diagnosis was cavernous angioma. Cavernous angiomas are usually located in the cerebral parenchyma and rarely occur in the cerebral ventricles. In particular, cavernous angioma at the septum pellucidum is very rare. If magnetic resonance imaging does not clearly show the typical peripheral hypointense rim, neuroimaging diagnosis will be difficult. Surgical resection should be considered to confirm the histopathology, in particular if bleeding and hydrocephalus are present.     

Seeding of a cavernous angioma with Mycoplasma hominis: case report

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: To describe a unique case of hematogenous seeding of a cavernous angioma with the commensal organism Mycoplasma hominis. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 40-year-old female patient presented with a severe headache and acute left facial nerve palsy. Imaging studies revealed a right frontal mass lesion with characteristics of a cavernous angioma. INTERVENTION: The patient underwent a craniotomy for cavernous angioma resection. Purulent material was noted at the time of resection, and no hemorrhage was observed. Despite antibiotic therapy, the patient required repeat craniotomies for subsequent abscess treatment. M. hominis was identified as the pathogen. CONCLUSION: M. hominis is a rare cause of brain abscesses and can be difficult to eradicate. Cavernous angiomas can be seeded hematogenously.     

A case of cavernous angioma of the middle cranial fossa originating in the cavernous sinus with hyperprolactinemia

A 43-year-old female was admitted showing abnormal feeling in the left eye region. Left facial hypesthesia and quadrantic hemianopsia of left eye were the detectable neurological findings. A plain skull x-ray film revealed a double floor and dilatation of the sella turcica. The tomogram of the sella turcica demonstrated a dilatation of superior orbital fissure. Caudocranial projection revealed a dilatation of foramen ovale. A computerized tomography scan revealed a slightly high density tumor which was enhanced slightly with a contrast medium in the parasellar region and left middle fossa. Carotid angiogram demonstrated the displacement of the left carotid fork to the upper and lateral direction. However, no other sign was found. The sinogram of cavernous sinus clearly demonstrated an indentation in the left cavernous sinus. The endocrinological tests were almost normal except for hyperprolactinemia. A trigeminal neurinoma and a pituitary tumor were suspected. The tumor was totally removed and was histologically diagnosed as a cavernous angioma. At operation it seems to be extracerebral in the middle fossa and originate in the cavernous sinus. Diagnostic problems endocrine findings and the origin are discussed.     

A case of microsurgically removed cavernous angioma in the midbrain]

The authors presented a case of microsurgically removed large cavernous angioma in the midbrain. A 46-year old woman was admitted to our service with bilateral nuclear oculomotor pareses and mild tetraparesis. MRI revealed a large round well-circumscribed high signal-intensity lesion on both T1 and T2 weighted image with low signal rim in the midbrain. This lesion was diagnosed preoperatively as a cavernous angioma. The operation was performed in three steps with intermittent hemorrhages by interhemispheric transcallosal-hippocampal commissure--velum interpositum-third ventricular approach and subsequent two infratentorial supracerebellar approaches and finally complete removal was performed. Histological examination of the surgical specimen revealed as a cavernous angioma having abnormal vessels with honeycomb appearance. The patient survived, although remains moderately disabled 6 months after the last operation.     

Tentorial cavernous angioma with calcification in a neonate

A cavernous angioma of the tentorium cerebelli, first disclosed by perinatal serial ultrasonographic studies, was extirpated totally without remarkable neurological deficit in a neonate. The tumor was accompanied by a calcified expansive hematoma in the posterior fossa. To our knowledge, this is the first case not only of cavernous angioma treated surgically and verified histologically in a neonate, but also of a calcified hematoma revealed on a conventional skull x-ray film at birth. This case suggests the possibility of hemorrhage from intracranial cavernous angioma early in life, even prenatally, and emphasizes the necessity for early diagnosis and early treatment of intracranial cavernous angiomas.     

Indications for the surgical treatment of cavernous angioma of the liver in adults. Report of a case

The authors report a case of giant cavernous hemangioma of the liver, almost entirely extrahepatic, bulging from the inferior surface of the right lobe into the abdomen, treated surgically on account of worsening symptoms referable to continuing growth. A thorough search of the literature allows a critical review of the surgical indication in this benign pathology, rarely complicated by significant clinical events. Surgery is indicated, in lack of relevant complications, only when significant symptoms, continuing or worsening, are undoubtedly referable to the presence of the angioma.     

Surgical excision of familial cavernous angioma in the pontomedullary region--case report.

The authors report on a surgical case of cavernous angioma in the pontomedullary region. A 60-year-old male exhibited a progressive neurological deficit consisting mainly of bulbar paresis and cerebellar signs, without ictal episodes, and computed tomographic scans showed growth of the lesion over 3 years. On preoperative assessment, a glial tumor was suspected to coexist with a cavernous angioma. The vascular malformation was totally excised successfully. This case also revealed an unusual familial occurrence.     

A case of intraroot cauda equina cavernous angioma: clinical considerations

STUDY DESIGN: Case report and literature review. OBJECTIVE: Intradural-extramedullary cavernoma is a rare condition with only 23 cases reported in the literature. Most cases described adhere to spinal root or spinal cord. We report an example of this rare entity located within the sheets of one cauda equina nerve root. SETTING: Rome, Italy. METHODS: The authors report clinical, radiological, surgical, and pathological features of intraroot cavernoma with a literature review. RESULTS: Patient was operated. One year after surgery, he was healthy. CONCLUSION: Lumbar intradural cavernous angioma may present with sciatalgia, low-back pain, neurological deficit, or, more rarely with subarachnoid hemorrhage or hydrocephalus. They are treated successfully with surgical resection but preoperative status is a predicting factor for outcome. Sometimes the sacrifice of the spinal root is inevitable because, as in present case, the cavernous angioma is included in the nerve root. These lesions are rare and benign lesions. It is important for neurosurgeons to be aware of the existence of this entity to avoid preoperative misdiagnosis with tumor.     

Intradural extramedullary cavernous angioma: case report.

Cavernous angiomas represent 5 to 12% of spinal vascular malformations and usually are located at the vertebral body level with possible extension into the extradural space. The intradural intramedullary cavernoma occurs in about 3% of cases, whereas extramedullary localization is extremely rare. A new case of an intradural extramedullary cavernous angioma is reported, and the clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects of this rare malformation are analyzed.     

Remote epileptogenic focus detected by electrocorticogram in a case of cavernous angioma

Summary In a case of cavernous angioma, a remote gyrus, which was found to contain an epileptogenic focus by intraoperative electrocorticography (ECoG), was resected simultaneously with lesionectomy.The patient was a 27-year-old male who was referred to our hospital because of frequent systemic tonic-clonic convulsions. ECoG revealed an epileptogenic focus not only in the cortex around the angioma-affected tissue of the left frontal lobe but also in an in addition to lesionectomy. The postoperative course was uneventful. Now (two years after surgery), the patient is seizure-freeIn the surgical treatment of convulsions-accompanied by cavernous angioma, it is essential not only to detect epileptogenic foci by intraoperative ECoG but also to remove these foci together with the angioma.     

Spinal epidural cavernous angioma: case report.

Epidural cavernous angiomas are apparently rare lesions. We present a case of paraplegia with acute onset secondary to spinal epidural cavernous angioma at levels C7 and T1. Magnetic resonance imaging gave the clinician the opportunity to diagnose the lesion preoperatively. In this article, we present and discuss this rare case with a review of the literature.